Two Officers Killed, Third Wounded in Shooting in Palm Springs, California

Two Officers Killed, Third Wounded in Shooting in Palm Springs, California

by ANDREW BLANKSTEIN and STEVE PATTERSON

Two police officers died and a third was injured after they were shot in Palm Springs, California while responding to a family disturbance call Saturday, and the gunman is still at large but may be barricaded in a home, the police chief said.

The slain officers were identified as Jose Gilbert Vega, a 35-year veteran of the department who was due to retire in December, and Lesley Zerebny, 27, who had recently returned to duty after giving birth four months ago.

Emergency personnel wearing bullet-proof vests attend to a person on a stretcher on the corner of Cypress Road and Del Lago Road in Palm Springs, Calif. on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016.

“It was a simple family disturbance and he elected to open fire on a few of the guardians of this city,” an emotional Police Chief Bryan Reyes said.

The officers responded to a call from a woman who reported a disturbance involving her adult son at 12:18 p.m. (3:18 p.m. ET) and reports of gunfire came in about 10 minutes later, Reyes said.

The officers approached the front door and the suspect refused to open the door and threatened to shoot officers, Reyes said.

“The officers from what I understand were near the front door trying to negotiate with the suspect to just comply,” Reyes said. The officer who was wounded was alert and doing well, he said.

The shooting happened on Cypress Road in the north part of the city. Police are not sure the exact whereabouts of the suspect, but a sheriff’s SWAT team has a home surrounded and he may be inside the residence, Reyes said.

Earlier, police Sgt. William Hutchinson said police warned nearby residents to lock their doors and not answer the door for anyone as the manhunt was underway.

Reyes thanked the city government and the community for their support. “I am awake in a nightmare right now,” he said.